Chapter 52: Su Pingnan's Pride

Lunch conversation was pleasant. After Su Pingnan volunteered to pay the bill, he drove off.

Mrs. Li gave her daughter, who was still reluctantly waving goodbye, a sharp tug back. She felt better now, knowing that her daughter wasn’t a kept woman.

But she still disapproved of how her daughter seemed so attached to someone else.

She snapped, “We’re going home — can you be a bit more restrained?”

The Li family rode in Li Rao’s car, a red imported Volkswagen.

Li Rao peered at the black SUV driving away and said to her brother, “Luoran really is blessed — this Su Pingnan looks like a true outstanding man.”

“Didn’t you think he was bragging?” Li Luoran, somewhat displeased with her aunt’s initial attitude, couldn’t help interjecting.

Li Rao glanced amusedly at her niece, who truly had the lovestruck look of a foolish woman, and smiled. “Women dress for those who please them. Just because he spends lavishly on you, you’ve decided to abandon your aunt?”

…

After Su Pingnan met Li Luoran’s parents and explained the misunderstanding, he immediately hurried back to Tiandu.

Arcade machine sales were so hot, he had to rush back to keep an eye on things.

Every day, the small Jinxiu Electronics factory’s output of two hundred units was sold out before it even left the factory gate.

No one was a fool.

After seeing the huge crowds at several of Jinxiu Electronics’ own arcades, the onlookers stopped hesitating.

With the New Year approaching — the time when teenagers have the most spending money — getting stock now meant they might recoup costs before the first lunar month. People immediately went wild trying to grab them.

For the first time, Zhang Lihua felt a headache from handling money — everyone was wildly waving stacks of cash as if that alone would instantly secure an arcade machine.

The Tiandu Agricultural Bank was overwhelmed by Jinxiu Electronics’ cash flow and immediately sent staff to work on-site, which eased the workload for Zhang Lihua and her team.

The moment Su Pingnan returned, he took one look at the situation and quickly brought Zhang Hanping to the Tiandu television factory. He threw down bundles of cash and converted two lines of production to making the arcade machines instead.

“We must be fast.” Su Pingnan looked composed on the surface but was anxious inside.

This was Xia Country’s holiday season. After the New Year, not only would smuggled goods hit the market, but with the counterfeit abilities of those in Shencheng, once the people of Shencheng realized this was a huge moneymaker, there would be an onslaught of knockoffs of every brand.

“Three shifts, raise wages, increase bonuses.” Su Pingnan’s factory went all-out. Cash flowed like water and the workers went completely insane, boosting output nearly fivefold for a time.

A daily output of 1,000 arcade machines brought back dizzying amounts of cash for everyone.

Guo Guangyao and Su Wenwen came several times, clutching their chests before they could accept the reality. They stared at Su Pingnan as though they were gazing at a walking god of wealth.

Jinxiu Electronics’ huge momentum even alarmed the Tiandu Municipal Committee.

Chang Fuyuan was a deputy mayor of Tiandu. For a forty-year-old to rise to deputy mayor of a provincial capital was considered a smooth political career.

He was someone who graduated amid the Cultural Revolution, a proper graduate of Tiannan University of Finance and Economics, and a staunch reformer.

As Xia Country’s reform and opening accelerated, more and more people accepted many of his ideas.

“What is the origin of this Jinxiu Electronics? Lately eight out of every ten trucks seem to be carrying their goods,” Deputy Mayor Chang asked his secretary, Lin Xia. Though a lower-ranking deputy mayor originally in charge of culture and education, he had a reputation for revitalizing the economy. The city had handed him an idled electronics factory as a reform pilot, so when he saw trucks labeled Jinxiu Electronics, he became immediately interested.

Soon, Secretary Lin, who had been gathering information, ran back to report. “This is a local company that mainly produces a large game machine popular in Japan. The factory director is Zhang Hanping, a teacher at our Tiandu Electronic University who has taken unpaid leave to go into business. Taxes and such are clear, no issues.”

Chang Fuyuan sighed that revitalizing the private economy depended on people like this and said, “Arrange a meeting with Director Zhang for me — tell him I want to see him.”

“All right, boss. When would you like to meet?” Lin Xia asked.

“Friday morning, let’s have him come in.” Chang Fuyuan checked his calendar and set the time.

When Su Pingnan received Zhang Hanping’s call, he immediately understood his opportunity had arrived.

In 1993, Xia Country would gradually begin state-owned enterprise reform. Loss-making firms would either be merged or enter joint ventures. The fact that Jinxiu had come onto the authorities’ radar at this time meant they had a chance to get in.

“Meet him, but be neither humble nor arrogant. We’re clean, so there’s nothing to fear. And don’t make any decisions — report back on anything,” Su Pingnan quickly set the tone with a squint. Not only did the other side need to learn about Jinxiu, but Jinxiu also needed to learn the other’s intentions.

Proud as he was, the now reborn Su Pingnan strove to make everything he did a success so that he could live with his back straight and his head up. He refused to make his living by stooping and bending to the will of others.

This was an obsession in Su Pingnan’s heart that no one knew about.

Although he knew it would be extremely difficult, he still persisted — because this was Su Pingnan’s pride.

This was the pride of Su Pingnan, a man who had lived two lives and remained defiantly proud to his core.